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PHOTO: Mr Putin’s victory will extend his total time in office to nearly a quarter of a century.
(AP: Pavel Golovkin)

The Russian presidential election ended at 8 pm local time on March 18th. Among the 80 percent of the votes that have been counted, 76.1 percent are for President Putin’s. This win puts him on track to rule until 2024 — giving him nearly a quarter century in power, second only to Stalin as far as Kremlin leaders go. Putin’s fourth time in charge of the Kremlin is a foregone conclusion.

Since 1999, Putin been in power serving as president or prime minister. He alternated between the presidency and prime minister to bypass the legal requirements that prevented him from serving as president for two more terms. The question now is what will happen after his new term expires in six years.

During Putin’s last term, due to the Crimean issue and the Ukrainian crisis, Russia’s relations with Western countries have fallen to the “freezing point” since the end of the Cold War. Before the election, the former Russian Spy Scrippal’s poisoning in the British further exacerbated Russia’s relations with the West.

However, just as Western countries cannot be separated from Russia, Russia is also inseparable from the cooperation of Western countries on counter-terrorism and other international issues. He repeatedly claimed that “Russia and the United States have common responsibility for international security and stability.” Putin will adopt a pragmatic attitude in the “game” with the U.S.-led Western countries, and the relationship between the two sides will be kept in a “fighting without breaking” state.

Under the background of the West’s implementation of the policy of isolation and containment against Russia, the Asia-Pacific region has become Russia’s primary direction for seeking diplomatic diversification.

At a press conference held at his campaign headquarters, Putin said that China is Russia’s strategic partner and Russia cherishes its relations with China and will expand cooperation with China. “Russia-China relations are at an unprecedentedly high level. Russia will make every effort to expand its cooperation with China, including the cooperation of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the Eurasian Economic Union. The interests of both parties are consistent in this regard. ”

Can the Russian economy improve during Putin’s new term? Putin stated on March 1st that Russia’s economic growth rate should exceed the average growth rate of the world economy in the next six years, and Russia’s economy should rank among the top five in the world by the middle of the twentieth century. Russia’s exports of non-raw and non-energy related products should be turned over in the next six years. Russia’s per capita GDP should have risen by 50 percent compared to the present by the middle of the twentieth century. Russia aims to reduce the poverty rate by 50percent in the next six years. At the same time, Putin admits that the quality of life and welfare of the Russian people have not reached the proper level. There are serious challenges in using science and technology to improve the economy, infrastructure, and state management.

The victory in this election means that Putin will continue to assume the power of Russia in the next six years until 2024, at which time he will be 71 years old. The Russian Constitution provides that the President can only be reappointed for two terms. This means that Putin cannot be re-elected after the expiration of this term. There are no indications that Putin has chosen a successor currently.